Ramsey Nijem, a former contestant on The Ultimate Fighter reality show and a former NCAA Division I wrestler, made a bold claim during a recent podcast. When asked how long it would take for Gordon Ryan, one of the greatest no-gi jiu-jitsu competitors of all time, to handle him in a straight fight, Nijem confidently stated that Ryan wouldn’t be able to take him down.
“I mean, he’ll get me with a heel hook, eventually… if you take out striking,” Nijem said during his podcast, acknowledging Ryan’s superior grappling skills in a pure jiu-jitsu context. However, he doubled down, “(Gordon has) No hands. And I will say that confidently. Hopefully, you’re watching Gordon.”
His podcast co-host seemed intrigued by the idea of Nijem facing off against Ryan in an unsanctioned fight, even offering to sponsor such an event himself. While Ryan is known for his exceptional grappling prowess, Nijem believes his striking skills would give him the edge in a real-life scenario.
Nijem’s confidence likely stems from his extensive mixed martial arts background. He appeared on season 2 of TUF alongside Tony Ferguson who ultimately knocked him out.
Nijem called back to Gordon Ryan’s match with Bo Nickal, in which Nickal was able to suplex Ryan. What he probably failed to remember is that that particular match was organized in a special ruleset with no leglocks. Ultimately Ryan positioned himself quickly, threatening a half nelson sweep before transitioning to a triangle which he used to finish with approximately two minutes remaining on the clock.
“Bo Nickal picked him up and suplexed him. If that was on concrete, you know… I’ve ‘allegedly’ slammed one person on concrete and it ended the fight pretty fast. ”
Nijem competed at welterweight (170lbs) and ended his MMA career with 10 wins and 9 losses. He’s currently 36 years old.
Gordon Ryan submits Bo Nickal #UFC281 #UFC282 #UFC #MMATwitter pic.twitter.com/EfuWrDTpVm
— Jordan the casual (@mmanews710) November 18, 2022
